Who Are you intending to travel alone or with friends or family? The composition of your travelling group will naturally affect the places you can visit. Case in point: when I was childless, I visited the Chiran Peace Museum in Kagoshima twice. But yesterday, when I visited Kagoshima, I headed over to Kagoshima Aquarium - a place that I didn’t bother to visit my previous two times. This time round, it was my priority because my four-year-old wanted to see whale sharks for himself.

When Japan has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. So you could decide on the dates of your trip based on your preferred season. If you are a fan of autumn foliage, late November would probably be ideal. If you want to indulge yourself in skiing and other winter spots, the months of December - February are the way to go. I’m pretty fine with any time of the year, except for June. It’s the rainy season in Japan, and it’s kinda depressing the way it keeps raining forever then.

What Thinking about your interests and connections with Japan will help you derive the most out of your trip. For instance, if you love cycling, you may want to head over to Onomichi in Hiroshima and cycle on the Shimanami Kaido route to arrive at Imabari City in Ehime. There’s something exhilarating about ending up at a prefecture different from where you start!

Where Now that you have finalised planning what you want to do, it’s time to think about whether you want to cover the popular destinations like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka or embark on the path less taken. Both ways of travelling are equally valid, so it’s best that you remain authentic to yourself. No point squeezing with the crowds at Kinosaki Onsen in Kyoto or Beppu Onsen in Oita when you can have an outdoor onsen to yourself in Kurosawa Onsen, Kumamoto!

Why Why do you want to travel to Japan? Is it borne out of a desire to escape the hustle and bustle of modern life? If so, taking it slow and spending a few days at each location will do well to rejuvenate your spirits. Or are you on a mission to cover as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites as possible? Then, getting the JR Kansai-Hiroshima pass would help you explore all these renowned places in Kyoto, Hiroshima and Hyogo. Decide on your Why, and the pace of your trip will settle itself.

How After you lock in the 5 Wives, it’s time to think about how much you can afford to spend. What’s your budget for each day like? Do you want to splurge at fancy Michelin restaurants or are you on a shoestring budget and prefer bentos from convenience stores? Let your wallet decide the form your trip will take.